1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of wireless communications. More particularly, in one exemplary aspect, the present invention is directed to remotely enforcing operational policies on a wireless device upon the occurrence of a certain condition.
2. Description of Related Technology
As wireless devices such as cellular telephones, pagers, personal media devices and smartphones become ubiquitous, more and more people are carrying these devices in various social and professional settings. The result is that these wireless devices can often annoy, frustrate, and even threaten people in sensitive venues. For example, cell phones with loud ringers frequently disrupt meetings, the presentation of movies, religious ceremonies, weddings, funerals, academic lectures, and test-taking environments.
Excessive lighting emanating from wireless devices can also create disruption in dark environments. While it is well known that excessive or bright lighting in a movie theater can spoil the mood of certain movies, excessive lighting can also become a more serious issue in other contexts. For example, darkrooms used to develop film can only tolerate very low amounts of ambient lighting. Some biological labs also require low levels of lighting in certain instances (for example, as in the growth of light-sensitive bacteria). Covert police or government operations may require complete “blackout” conditions. A person's sleep can even be interrupted by a bright flashing or modulating display (such as to indicate an incoming call).
Myriad other situations exist where the audible and/or visual ringing, alarm or alert functions of a wireless device are undesirable or even deleterious to the device owner or others.
Moreover, in certain situations, the communications capability that the wireless device accords to its user may be what poses the threat. For example, it is presently believed that drivers of automobiles are more likely to get into an automobile accident when they are distracted by a call on their cellular phone. Moreover, the communications functionality of wireless devices in airplanes and hospitals is presently believed to interfere with control equipment and instrumentation due to radiated electromagnetic energy, thereby jeopardizing the lives and safety of others.
Wireless devices therefore can create problems with excessive emanations of sound and light, and also by posing safety issues to others via electromagnetic radiation from their antenna. However, these are not the only problems presented by wireless devices. For example, a wireless camera hidden in an area or brought in by another individual (e.g., a cellular phone camera) where privacy is normally reasonably expected such as a department store changing room, bathroom or locker room is one example of a significant threat to such privacy. Additionally, the wireless transmission of sensitive information to a remote source is one example of a threat to security. This sensitive information could be anything from classified government information to questions or answers to an examination administered in an academic setting.
Unfortunately, the prior art does not effectively address the foregoing various problems associated with wireless devices, nor ways to mitigate their effects. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,107,349 to Britt, Jr. issued Sep. 12, 2006 and entitled, “System and method for disabling and providing a notification for a data processing device” discloses a method for disabling a wireless data processing device. This method comprises: receiving an indication from a user that the data processing device is missing, and responsively transmitting a disable command to the data processing device, the disable command disabling the data processing device using a first disabling technique.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,080,405 to Himmel et al. issued Jul. 18, 2006 and entitled, “Limiting device function” discloses a system, method and computer program product that sends wireless control messages to electronic devices, such as audio and video recorders, cameras, radios, televisions, mobile phones, portable or handheld computers and personal digital assistants that have come within an environment or that are in an environment that changes. In such an environment, a wireless receiver in the mobile electronic device receives the control messages. In a hardware implementation, electronic gates are set to disable the one or more features of the device. In a software implementation, current power status flags are set in a memory device within the mobile electronic device to a reduced power setting. Outside the environment, the electronic gates or power status flags revert to full power. The device driver for each feature of the mobile electronic device will reject I/O operations inconsistent with the current power status flags for that feature.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,006,793 to Himmel et al. issued Feb. 28, 2006 and entitled, “Safe use of electronic devices in an automobile” discloses a method and computer program product for operating a mobile electronic device having a wireless transceiver within an automobile having an on-board computer. The method includes: receiving a wireless information message from the mobile electronic device within the automobile to the on-board computer, establishing a wireless communication link between the on-board computer and the mobile electronic device; communicating instructions from the on-board computer to the mobile electronic device to disable a one or more features within the mobile electronic device; and then communicating reconfiguration instructions from the on-board computer to the mobile electronic device, whereby the mobile electronic device reconfigures itself to become a slave device to the on-board computer. The motorist may then utilize the mobile electronic device through the input and output devices of the on-board computer.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,983,888 to Weng issued Jan. 10, 2006 and entitled, “Portable wireless anti-theft USB disc” discloses a portable wireless anti-theft flash memory having a body proper in which there are a flash memory, a high frequency receiver circuit, and a monocle switch to go with a cap, in which are a high frequency transmitter, an encoding circuit, and a counter, for casing the body proper. Connecting the body proper to a computing device enables high frequency transmitting, receiving, and turning on flash memory firewall. When the transmitting source is a distance away, the firewall becomes engaged thus disabling the flash memory to prevent loss of data from theft for safety purpose.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,897,762 to Howells issued May 24, 2005 and entitled, “Vehicle immobilization system” discloses an immobilization system for a vehicle which will assist in law enforcement. The system includes a first remote control device, which transmits a predetermined wireless control signal, and a second remote control device, which includes a first directional antenna for transmitting a selectable wireless control signal in a first direction and a second directional antenna for transmitting a wireless enable signal in a second direction. The second remote control device includes an externally operable device for selecting the wireless control signal and the enable signal to be transmitted. A receiver is included for receiving the control signal and the enable signal with the predetermined control signal being substantially unique to the receiver. A device for disabling a vehicle by police, in response to either the predetermined control signal or the selectable control signal, is provided for allowing capture of those assailants seeking to escape by use of a motor vehicle.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,839,552 to Martin issued Jan. 4, 2005 and entitled, “System and method for reporting an emergency situation” discloses a system and method for reporting an emergency situation to a called party a using a wireless device. The wireless device comprises a keyboard and a microprocessor. In one embodiment, when a specific keystroke sequence is entered using the keyboard, the wireless device performs the following tasks: disabling one or more components of the wireless device; establishing a wireless communication session with the called party; communicating with a location system to generate location information pinpointing the location of the wireless device; and providing the location information to the called party. In other embodiments, the wire device performs additional tasks, including: capturing content during the wireless communication; communicating with the location system to generate subsequent location information; and providing one or more of the subsequent location information and the content to the called party. The called party may then use the location information and the content to perform one or more actions, including providing help to the user of the wireless device.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,823,199 to Gough issued Nov. 23, 2004 and entitled, “System and method for controlling a wireless device notification alert” discloses wireless device audible alert control signal generating systems and methods. The control signal may be used to either enable or disable the audible alert of a wireless device. The signal may be generated as a function of the motion of an object entering or exiting a quiet zone. An embodiment for a system in accordance with the invention includes a transmitter to transmit a control signal to either disable or enable an audible alert of a wireless device. An antenna may be operatively coupled to the transmitter. A motion sensor to detect objects passing through a field of detection may be used to trigger the emission of the control signal. A controller operatively coupled to both the motion sensor and transmitter may command the transmitter to transmit the control signal as a function of a direction of motion detected by the motion sensor. An embodiment for a method in accordance with this invention includes detecting an object in an object detection area. A direction of motion of the object with respect to a reference point may be determined. A wireless device audible alert control signal may then be generated as a function of the direction of motion of the object.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,753,842 to Williams et al. issued Jun. 22, 2004 and entitled, “System and method for backlighting control in a wireless communication device” discloses a wireless communication device that includes a display having a backlight. A backlight controller selectively enables the backlight to minimize power consumption and conserve energy in a battery. In one embodiment, a receiver receives a time-of-day message from a remote location to set a timer with the current time-of-day. The current time-of-day is compared with a predetermined time-of-day and the backlight controller enables and disables the backlight at predetermined times-of-day. The wireless communication device may also include a GPS receiver, to determine the location of the device. The backlight controller can determine the sunrise or sunset times for the specific location. The GPS data may be used in combination with the time-of-day message. A photosensor can detect ambient light levels and generate an electrical signal corresponding thereto. The backlight controller may use the photosensor to determine ambient light levels and to enable or disable the backlight based only on ambient light levels. The photosensor signal can be used in combination with the time-of-day message and/or the location data from the GPS receiver to control the backlight.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,690,940 to Brown et al. issued Feb. 10, 2004 and entitled, “System for selective prevention of non-emergency use of an electronic device” discloses a system for selectively disabling use of at least selected features of a stand-alone electronic device under a predetermined set of conditions. The system establishes a state of the set of conditions as being satisfied or unsatisfied, communicates the state to the electronic device, and disables the selected features if the state is satisfied. In one embodiment, the system may be advantageously be used to prevent vehicular accidents by at least partially disabling non-emergency use of a wireless telephone in a moving vehicle. In another embodiment, the system may be used to disable features of an electronic device within a predetermined area having a boundary that is independent of a communications network cell.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,664,888 to Bishop issued Dec. 16, 2003 and entitled, “Method and apparatus for enabling and disabling certain functions of an automobile” discloses an apparatus and method designed for use with a vehicle that remotely activates an audio warning device prior to disabling the ability for the driver to start the vehicle. The apparatus is installed in the vehicle and includes a special pager receiver that decodes paging messages sent from a paging transmitter site. The pager receiver is electrically connected to a controller which interprets the coded message. An in-vehicle digital radio transmitter then sends a wireless transmission to digital radio receivers installed in the vehicle. Each digital radio receiver is incorporated in a package that includes an electrical connection to an electromagnetic relay. The relay is plugged into the electrical circuits of the vehicle which activate certain devices or functions, such as the starter motor, ignition system, power door locks, headlamps, horn, and other system that may use electrical relays. The digital radio receivers decode the transmissions from the in-vehicle transmitter and decide whether to open or close their respective relays, thus disabling or enabling certain devices or functions in the vehicle. The invention finds applicability for use by lender institutions in order to disable vehicles when the owner has not kept his account current.
Other prior art approaches (including prior generation laptop computers manufactured by the Assignee hereof) include the capability to display the status of a wireless access point or station (e.g., WiFi “AP” or “STA”, respectively). However, such capability provided no control of the wireless device, in that it could only provide for the display of status information.
Despite the foregoing variety of different approaches to wireless device control, none satisfies the salient need of providing an apparatus and methods of automatically disabling, replacing, or modifying the functionality of a wireless device upon the occurrence of a certain condition, such as for instance entering a particular location or venue. Ideally, such apparatus and methods would in one aspect allow certain designated zones or areas to enforce policies regarding wireless device operation, and be protected from externalities such as ringing or alarms, display functions, etc. associated with the wireless device. This would also ideally prevent or frustrate the use of wireless devices for inappropriate purposes.
Moreover, such apparatus and methods would also ideally not require significant infrastructure changes or upgrades for implementation.